I found the ultimate rare Merlot for wine geeks and Bordeaux lovers. Plus, I tried some other serious Merlots.
As you know, I’m a fan of Merlot–at least cool climate Merlot. I’m also a wine geek and collector, so I’m always looking for wines that go beyond hedonistic pleasure and that stimulate me intellectually too (sounds like I’m describing my ideal partner). Stimulating me intellectually could be trying a new grape, region, producer, vintage or an aged wine. It could be learning about the history of the land and producer, old vines, certain winemaking techniques, unique terroir or a famous winemaker. Lastly, I’m also interested in wines that are rare.
In that vein, I found some interesting Merlots from different regions to compare, including a rare 160 year old vine, pre-phylloxera Bordeaux that any wine geek or Bordeaux lover should seek out. The others I got for different intellectual reasons although in the end I’m still looking for quality for the price too.
What I look for in higher quality Merlot are two things: complexity and structure. Is there something beyond just fruit? Can I sense the terroir and/or are there well-integrated flavors from oak aging? In addition, I don’t like flabby Merlot. Hence, I’m hoping for some acidic and tannic structure. All these wines were originally less than $50.
Background & Tasting Notes
2013 Rocca di Montegrossi Geremia
A Super Tuscan (a Tuscan wine that didn’t follow the regulations of their DOC in the past, mostly due to the use of non-indigenous grapes-however they now have their own designation). This consists of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon grown in Chianti Classico. Aged in French oak for 28 months. Only 1,250 cases were made, but it sells for only around $50 despite some big scores from critics. They also produce standard Chianti Classico and olive oil.
Nose of dark fruit and chocolate with savory dried Mediterranean herbs like thyme. Mint. Medium+ body, acid and tannin. Overall, good vibrancy with potential for more. Definitely keeps its Italian identity. 93+
2013 Paradigm Estate Merlot Napa Oakville
Paradigm is an under-the-radar Napa producer that started around the same time as when the 90’s cult wines emerged like Colgin, Bryant Family and Screaming Eagle. Even though they have had the same original winemaker of Screaming Eagle, Heidi Barret, and are surrounded by other top producers like Opus One, Harlan, and Martha’s Vineyard (Heitz), they’ve always tried to keep prices reasonable for their loyal customers despite their pedigree and quality. Given that it’s Merlot, it also makes it a great deal since Cabernet and Pinot are what California producers charge the most for. 90% Merlot, 9 Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Petit Verdot. All estate fruit. The Merlot was planted in the 90’s. Clay, sand and volcanic rock soil.
Fruit driven, plummy but still rather restrained and elegant for Napa. Some coffee and chocolate. Just enough acid. Least oak of all of them. I’ve never had Screaming Eagle, but from what I’ve read, it’s actually more a wine of finesse than blockbuster and opulent in style. We see that here in Paradigm. 91
2016 Château Maillet Pomerol
Gravel, clay and terroir soil. 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. They typically use 100% new French oak. Hubert de Boüard of the highly touted Château Angelus is their consultant.
Started off closed. I’ve seen a lot of reports of the excellent 2016 vintage starting to close. Chocolate, baking spice and savory herbs on the nose. Chalky minerality on the palate with medium acid. Elegant yet mouth-filling rich purple fruit with still more potential. In fact, there was still structure and fruit after a week since being opened. 92+
2011 Clos Manou Cuvee 1850 Medoc
Wine Geek Alert!!! This wine is so unique in several ways. First of all, it’s a Left Bank Bordeaux wine that’s all Merlot. Usually there’s a large percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in Left Bank wines. Secondly, it comes from some of the oldest vines in Bordeaux dating back to the 1850’s. These vines were alive during the 1855 classifications of Bordeaux wines. Lastly, these vines are ungrafted and pre-phylloxera which is almost unheard of in Bordeaux. Almost all the vines in Bordeaux were wiped out between 1860 and 1880 by phylloxera. I know Haut Bailly in Pessac-Leognan has 120 year old vines, but they’re not ungrafted pre-phylloxera and they’re not made into one cuvee (at least not for public sale). This is all Merlot although there may be a tiny bit of Cabernet Sauvignon because they also have a few vines of equally old pre-phylloxera Cabernet among the 1,000 total pre-phylloxera Merlot vines. They only make this 1850 Cuvee in good years starting with the 2008 vintage. Only 50 cases were made of this 2011. This is a small family estate. They hand-harvest and are low-intervention overall. Whole berry fermentation in large casks and aged 17 months in new French oak barrels. No fining or filtration.
Chocolatey nose, oak notes. Sweet spices. Nutmeg. Elegant and smooth. Lightest of the wines tonight. Present tannins, but not noticeable with food. Cool fruit yet medium acid. Not sure how much of its soft feel is the age or style of the producer. Overall, I wanted a little less oak. This was still made under the Robert Parker years while now more producers are reducing new oak, so I wonder how their wine is nowadays. But the highlight of this wine should be the old pre-phylloxera vines, so I’d rather have less oak and more of the fruit from these super old and unique vines. From what I understand, wines in the 1850s were aged in large French oak casks and were not for long term aging, so the lighter side of this wine seems to fit the style of wines pre-phylloxera, but the new oak barrels don’t. 91
2015 Castello di Amorosa Napa Merlot
An unexpected entry into the comparison brought by a friend. This producer is famous for having a Tuscan style castle in the middle of Napa that you can visit. They only sell wines through their website or at the castle, so it’s not that easy to find. Dark fruit, chocolate nose. Palate of dark fruit, tobacco and spice. Just enough acidity to keep it from being flabby. Compared to the actual Tuscan Merlot, there’s less acidity and herbs, but this is still similar in its fruit and flavors coming from the oak. 90 
2015 Clos Lunelles Cotes de Castillon
This is one I’m including last minute but drank on a different night after the first comparison. Cheaper than the previous 5 wines at around $25 on release. I got this wine because it’s owned by the Perse family, who also own the much more expensive and prestigious Chateau Pavie. Therefore, I thought it was a way to taste their style, which is known to be on the opulent side, before paying $350+ for their top wine. Clay and limestone soil similar to St. Emilion. 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. To maximize concentration, they keep yields low by crop thinning and deleafing with careful hand harvested selection and sorting. They typically use around 50% new oak.
Deep dark color Immediate dark ripe fruit on the nose and palate. Elegant feel. Easy to like. However, there’s good acidity too and gripping tannins that soften up with air and food. Still primary with just a touch of chocolate oak influence. Overall, I like this better than the Maillet at the moment even if it’s a little simpler. Less oak, more fruit, silkier and more acidity. Like a modern St. Emilion. More restrained than I thought it would be given the reputation of Chateau Pavie as a dense and rich wine. At the same time, it’s a good gateway wine for a California wine lover to get into Bordeaux. 92
2002 Moulin Haut Laroque Fronsac
Another one I’m including but drank on a different night after the first comparison. It’s also cheaper than the first 5, which were all around $50 at release. I found this one for less than $20 a month ago despite it being almost 20 years old. 2002 was not considered a good vintage, so that might be part of it. However, this wine is unique in that there’s a decent percentage of old-vine, 80 year old Malbec (5%) blended with the 65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc (70+ year old) and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. I thought it would be an interesting contrast to all or almost all Merlot cuvees previously mentioned given that most Right Bank Merlot are blends (but usually with just Cabernet Franc or a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon) and also given its age. Planted on clay-limestone soil, including some blue clay, which is what makes Chateau Petrus so special. They used 40% new oak. Michel Rolland, famous (or infamous) for making high level but often similar styled modern wines, consulted on this wine. This is an old estate and one of the first ever to bottle and sell their own wine. In the 19th century (and up until around 1970’s) only negociants did that. That’s why a lot of labels still say “Mis en bouteille au château” because it wasn’t always the norm.
The color still looks youthful, but the wine tastes and smells like an old wine. Dried dark, plummy fruit but integrated with cedar, sweet spices and caramel. Silky smooth. A little mustiness. Not the most profound or complex, but given the ratings of this vintage, this is still better than expected. It’s an inexpensive way to try an aged wine. It gives you an idea of what will happen to the other wines although all the other wines have more potential. Anyway, that’s why it’s important to revisit vintages because this is still a pleasant Bordeaux. 88
Conclusion
Overall, all the wines had similar profiles with plenty of ripe dark fruit and integrated oak flavors. However, some feature more or less amounts of spice and herbs, acidity and minerality according to their terroir and styles, but all were above average, more serious Merlots that can age some and go beyond primary fruit flavors, except the one that was already 20 years old. I didn’t include my favorite region for Merlot, St. Emilion, in this comparison but the Clos Lunelles wasn’t far off. It was the most ready to drink now while some of the others could still improve. Ultimately, this comparison shows how Merlot can impress wine geeks with its structure, complexity, terroir and history despite its reputation as a wine for beginners.